hmmmm. "crisp" as in a crispy casing? - most often the crispy casing quest leads in the direction of a "natural" casing.

as for "how to cook" - probably several thousand answers to that.

in water, in beer, in sauerkraut - you name it.

Blaue Zipfel - hope I spelled it right - is a german dish - brats in beer (Blau = blue = german slang for tipsy . . .)

a popular technique is a boil/simmer in a liquid to ensure a thorough cooking, then grilled / broiled / pan fried to get some color and crispy outside.
getting them 'fully cooked' can be tricky in a grilling situation (burnt outside, not cooked inside....)

Some people say you should boil it in water .. others in beer ? Some even just throw it in the oven.

Which is the best way to get a nice "snappy" crisp brat ?

Many thanks
Sean

The proper way to cook a German sausage is to boil in water for 5 minutes, remove to plate. Serve with fine German mustard.

This information comes directly from Dittmer's Wurst Haus in Mountain View California. This is where you can place an order with the butcher in either German or English. The place is absolutely the most amazing I've been in a long damned time.

Some people say you should boil it in water .. others in beer ? Some even just throw it in the oven.

Which is the best way to get a nice "snappy" crisp brat ?

Many thanks
Sean

The proper way to cook a German sausage is to boil in water for 5 minutes, remove to plate. Serve with fine German mustard.

This information comes directly from Dittmer's Wurst Haus in Mountain View California. This is where you can place an order with the butcher in either German or English. The place is absolutely the most amazing I've been in a long damned time.

Being from the Midwest, where Bratwurst cooking is an art, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you, on this one, Biggles. A "Brat" in the US is not the same as a standard German sausage -- it's not eaten the same and it's not cooked the same. First of all, I assume that the original poster was intending to put it on a bun, right? That's the first difference right there...

What I recommend (and what I've done for years, and all my friends and relations have done) is to cook it in two parts. First boil it in BEER (the cheaper the better -- Budweiser does fine) for about 5 minutes. Then finish it on either a hot grill or in a hot frying pan until it just develops a nice crust and some good scorch marks. Then you can put it in a warmed bun and top it with (as you mentioned) some good german-style mustard, some grilled onions, or whatever else your heart desires.

Some people say you should boil it in water .. others in beer ? Some even just throw it in the oven.

Which is the best way to get a nice "snappy" crisp brat ?

Many thanks
Sean

The proper way to cook a German sausage is to boil in water for 5 minutes, remove to plate. Serve with fine German mustard.

This information comes directly from Dittmer's Wurst Haus in Mountain View California. This is where you can place an order with the butcher in either German or English. The place is absolutely the most amazing I've been in a long damned time.

Being from the Midwest, where Bratwurst cooking is an art, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you, on this one, Biggles. A "Brat" in the US is not the same as a standard German sausage -- it's not eaten the same and it's not cooked the same. First of all, I assume that the original poster was intending to put it on a bun, right? That's the first difference right there...

What I recommend (and what I've done for years, and all my friends and relations have done) is to cook it in two parts. First boil it in BEER (the cheaper the better -- Budweiser does fine) for about 5 minutes. Then finish it on either a hot grill or in a hot frying pan until it just develops a nice crust and some good scorch marks. Then you can put it in a warmed bun and top it with (as you mentioned) some good german-style mustard, some grilled onions, or whatever else your heart desires.

Hey Sean,

Totally agree with you, would rather have yours. In fact, this is how I make mine. Simmer in beer that has butter, onion and then grill. Completely agree.
This isn't traditional for Germans though. My mother's side of the family is a traditional German family traced back over hundreds of years. My family's name is Kramer. Simple, traditional German food is my tradition. My father's side of the family is Ofenhaus, another damned traditional German family and it's the same damned thing. But what do hundreds of years of family tradtion mean? It's only one flavor. One part of the country does one thing and another does something competely different.
When I go back to Kansas and visit? Cherry pies and wonderful things to enjoy. It's all about family and good things to eat.

One final hint for brats -- when you grill or fry them they tend to curl up, which makes them look pretty but also makes it difficult to fit them on a bun. So after boiling, stick a bamboo skewer through them lengthwise and grill or fry. Keeps them perfectly straight and bun-friendly. (Remove before eating, of course!)

I gently boil them in a saute pan with just enough liquid to cover them.
You can use beer, wine ,or water with a little vinegar in it.
As they boil they release juices and a little fat into the water.
Boil the liquid completely away then continue to gently saute them in their own fat to get the color and texture you want.
Occasionally you will need to add a little butter if your brats are to lean.

Well, I have no idea what gets sold as "bratwurst" 6K miles from Germany.
Bratwurst translates as sausage you have to fry, and it has a different stuffing from the wurst you warm in water and put into a hot dog.
Just throw it on the grill or into a frying pan - guten Appetit!

Goes very well with traditional potato salad (my clan´s mayonnaise receipe available if needed) and lots of mustard.